This invention relates to a method of forming a composite sheet material and of forming a printed article and to a composite sheet material and a printed article.
The printing of articles such as containers, trays or the like usually requires the article to be formed in a manufacturing operation and for the completed article to then be printed in a separate printing operation either by directly printing on the article or by applying a printed foil or sheet to the article. Other techniques include laminating a plastic sheet with a printed sheet and then in a subsequent operation forming the plastic sheet into an article.
These operations are time consuming and the additional handling and work required adds to the cost of the finished article.
Some attempts have been made to print directly on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material or other material from which containers are molded, and the results have not been good.